The PATBI Program
Every year nearly 2,000 people in Utah will sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI), and approximately a quarter of those injured will be permanently disabled as a result of their injuries. The Brain Injury Association of Utah (BIAU) estimates that nearly 32,000 people in Utah, more than 2% of the population, have sustained a brain injury.
The Traumatic Brain Injury Protection and Advocacy Grant Program is the newest of the P&A programs. Recognizing the significant impact that TBI has on individuals, families, and society, Congress passed the Traumatic Brain Injury Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-166) "to provide for the conduct of expanded studies and the establishment of innovative programs with respect to traumatic brain injury." When Congress reauthorized the TBI Act as part of the Children's Health Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-310), it also authorized the Health Resources and Services Administration to make grants to P&As for the purpose of ensuring that individuals with TBI and their families have access to (1) information, referrals and advice; (2) individual and family advocacy; (3) legal representation; and (4) specific assistance in self-advocacy to individuals with TBI and their families.